Portable traction table



y 1957 w. E. MATTHEWS 2,798,48I

PORTABLE TRACTION TABLE Filed Sept. 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l E. Maflhews INVENTOR.

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y 1957 w. E. MATTHEWS 2,798,481

PORTABLE TRACTION TABLE Filed Sept. 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent PORTABLE TRACTION TABLE Walter E. Matthews, St. Anthony, Idaho Application September 6, 1955, Serial No. 532,466 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-71) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in traction tables designed specifically for vertebral traction and constructed for convenient portability and storage.

An important object of the invention is to provide a traction table adapted for home treatment and which may be placed on a bench, table, floor, or other suitable supporting surface and capable of being manipulated by a person lying on the traction table.

The purpose of the table is to place traction on the human body in such a manner as to more skillfully subject the same to a straightening force by pulling the spine and body muscles into a normal position for more complete relaxation and to ease pressure and tension on the vertebrae discs and nerves connected with the spinal column and allowing them to assume their natural positions.

Another object is to provide a traction table of simple and practical construction, which is eincient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on a line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on a line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the head halter; and

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the traction table in folded position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates the traction table generally on which a person undergoing treatment lies and which comprises a head section 6 and a foot section 7 and both of which may be constructed of a board or other suitable rigid material and provided with cross-bars 8 at their undersides to raise the boards above a supporting surface on which the table is placed. The meeting ends of the head and foot sections are connected to each other by a pair of conventional hinges 9 for folding the bottoms of said sections against each other.

A pair of upstanding supports 10 and 11 are secured to the side edges at the free end of the head section and a shaft or Windlass 12 is rotatably mounted in said pair of supports and with a crank handle 13 at one end of the shaft for winding a rope or other suitable flexible member 14 thereon. The rope 14 extends rearwardly to a block and fall construction 15 which includes a pulley 16 secured to a bracket 17 at the rear end of foot section 7 and a pulley 18 secured to a transverse footboard 19 which is slidable longitudinally on the foot section. A bolt and nut 20 extends downwardly at the underside of footboard 19 into a longitudinal slot 21 to guide the footboard in a rectilinear path on the foot section.

A pair of shoes 22 and 23 have leather straps 24 and 25 secured to the backs of the shoes and with one end of the straps extending below the heels for attaching to the rear edge of the footboard 19 by screw eyes or the like 26.

A head halter is designated generally at 27 and includes a flexible leather or other suitable flexible relatively broad strap 28 folded into substantially U-shape to form side portions 29 and 30 for placing at the sides of the head of a person. The side portions are connected to each other by back straps 31 and the lower front portion of the halter is shaped to form a chin pocket 32 adapted to receive the chin of the person, while the lower rear portion of the halter is formed with a notch 33 to accommodate the neck of the person.

Each upper side portion 29 and 30 is formed with a row of openings 34 to selectively receive screw eyes 35 at the ends of a cross-bar 36 which is positioned above the head of the person and the cross-bar is formed with a central opening 37 to receive the upper end of an L- shaped rod 38 which has its lower end inserted in a recess 39 in the free end of head section 6 to anchor the halter thereto. The halter is free to turn on rod 38.

In the operation of the device, a person to whom traction is to be applied lies on the table 5 and halter 27 is placed on his head and his feet engaged in the shoes 22 and 23. The shoes are secured to the slidable footboard 19 by the screw eyes 26 and the rod 38 is placed in the opening in cross-bar 36 of the halter to anchor the head of the person to the table. The handle 13 for Windlass 12 may then be grasped by the person, as shown by dotted lines in Figure l, to tighten rope 14 and apply desired traction in a customary manner.

When not in use, the head and foot sections 6 and 7 may be folded, as shown in Figure 6, for convenient portability and storage.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit: the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A traction device comprising: an elongated table having a longitudinal slot in one end portion, a pulley on said one end portion of said table, a transverse footboard mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on said one end portion of said table and traversing the slot, a guide bolt on said footboard slidably engaged in the slot, a Windlass mounted on the other end portion of the table, means on the table for anchoring the head of a. person lying thereon to said other end portion thereof, means on the footboard for anchoring the legs of the person to Patented July 9, 1957.

saidfootboard, and a rope windable on the Windlass and operatively connected to the footboard for actuating same, the first named means including a substantially U-shaped flexible head halter having rows of spaced openings in its end portions, an upstanding rod on the table, a bar journaled on said rod, and securing elements on the ends of the bar engageablenselectively in the openings for adjustably mounting thez halter on said bar, the last named means including a pair of shoes for the reception of the persons feet, flexible straps secured on the rear ends of said shoes and depending therefrom, and fastening elements securing said straps to the footboard for hingedly mounting the shoes thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 776,335 Langworthy Nov. 29, 1904 902,946 De Nise Nov. 3, 1908 1,374,115 Roemer Apr. 5, 1921 10 2,674,996 Stowell et a1. Apr. 13, 1954 2,703,080 Sanders Mar. 1, 1955 mmvb 

